Gov. Scott Walker's proposal for a 21% increase in the amount charged to counties for housing youth in the state's two scandal-plagued juvenile prisons "is moving in exactly the wrong direction," County Executive Chris Abele said Wednesday.

Walker's budget proposes raising the fee from the current rate of $292 per child per day to $344 on July 1 of this year and to $352 on July 1, 2018. That would increase the annual cost of holding a child at Lincoln Hills School for boys or Copper Lake School for Girls from $106,580 now to $128,480 in the second year of the budget.

"Honestly, you don't have to be a Sherlock Holmes to figure out at least part of the motivation is the economy up in Wausau, because it sure as hell isn't helping Milwaukee," he said.

Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake are about 30 miles north of Wausau. Both schools have been under federal investigation for possible criminal and civil rights abuse of inmates. The ACLU of Wisconsin, along with the Juvenile Law Center and with pro bono help from the Quarles & Brady law firm, have filed a federal court lawsuit over conditions and alleged abuse at the schools, The suit, filed on behalf on former and current inmates, seeks class action status.

The plaintiffs also are seeking a preliminary injunction to temporarily halt most use of solitary confinement, pepper spray and use of restraints.

The county for six years has been reducing the number of youths it commits to the schools, he said. As of As of March 30, there were a total of 84 boys from Milwaukee County at Lincoln Hills and seven girls at Copper Lake, according to a county report.

"We spent a year-and-a-half trying to convince the state to do something smarter," Abele said during a meeting of the Milwaukee Community Justice Council. during a meeting of the Milwaukee Community Justice Council. The council includes representatives of many key actors of the justice system who collaborate in an effort to improve the system and its components.

County officials believed at one point that the state was interested helping establishing a youth correctional facility in the Milwaukee area, the exec said.

"We'll do it right here and have better programming," Abele said. Instead, he said, Walker proposed adding staff to the existing schools and charging counties more to use them.

Lincoln Hills' own figures show the institution has a 70% to 75% recidivism rate, he said. Offenders who commit less serious crimes associate at the facility with more serious criminals, and become worse offenders themselves, he said.

"We are dramatically and expensively making it more likely that people are going to commit crime. ... It's just a poster child for everything that's wrong," he said.

Legislation offered by State Sen. Leah Vukmir and State Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-West Allis) that would send more children to the youth prisons "would move us in directly the wrong direction," he said.

"There's a lot of legislation that everyone here would love to have Madison pass," he said. "We spend a lot of time trying to do it and, you know, I can tell you why we're supportive of getting it passed; you'd have to ask them why they're not."

"Walker's judges" is our effort to present information about Gov. Walker's appointees to the bench. The information is taken from the appointees' own judgeship applications. ​ While typos and grammar goofs happen to everyone, Tolan's application had a particular large number of them. We noted some of them.

​Name: Daniel J. Tolan

Appointed to: Polk County Circuit Court

Appointment date: Jan. 3, 2017 (Elected April 4, 2017)

​Education:Law School– Hamline UniversityUndergrad– University of Wisconsin-Green Bay High School – Luck Public High School, Luck, Wisconsin​Recent employment:2009 - present– Polk County District Attorney 1997 - 2016– Self as private attorney2014 - 2016– Luck village prosecutor​ Memberships: Wisconsin Over 10 years ago was notified I was 1 epr credit short and rectified the situation within 1 week.

Legal experience as an advocate in criminal litigation, civil litigation, administrative proceedings: More than 18 years experience in criminal and civil law.I have tried to represent my clients by applying the law to our facts and negotating (sic) a fair and reasonable resolution. I have tried the cases that we could not achieve a fair and reasonable resolution (sic).

Number of cases tried to verdict or judgment: Jury, about 22; non-jury, estimated 100+.

Cases on appeal:

State of Wisconsin v. Albert Linder – I did the Jury Trial on this case as a Special Prosecutor. It was a Second Degree Sexual Assault of a Child. It is signficant to me because I was able to get justice for the victim in terms of a conviction and the resulting sentence was life in prison due to the persistent repeater enhancer. I was able to take a pedofile (sic) off the streets and protect the victim and public from him for life.

State of Wisconsin v. Eugene Ferguson – I was involved in this Arson case from it's (sic) inception. I tried this case as a Jury Trial for 4 and a half days. It ended in guilty verdicts on 2 counts of Arson, and 1 Count of Burglary. This case is significant to me because I was able to achieve convictions after a hard fought fight and was able to give the victim some piece (sic) of mind that she did not have to be afraid of him while he is incarcerated.

County of Washburn v. Eric D. Smith–I reasearched (sic) and wrote the Appeal brief and the Supreme Court brief. I also did the oral argument in Madison, Wisconsin before the Supreme Court. This case is signficant (sic) to me because the court applied the law of Implied Consent to the facts of our case. The defense was attempting to expand the law by using footnotes in a different Supreme Court case to create new law which would penalize law enforcement if they attempt to provide additional information in answering any questions regarding Implied Consent.

Involvement in judicial, non-partisan or partisan political campaigns in the last six years: None

Election history: None

Involvement in judicial, non-partisan or partisan political campaigns: None

Professional or civic organizations, volunteer activities, service in a church or synagogue, or any other activities or hobbies that could be relevant or helpful to consideration of the application: I do not belong to an (sic) organizations, but have volunteered for Luck Commercial Club during Lucky Days and have also volunteered for the Luck Gandy Dancer Marathon.​Describe any pro bono legal work in the last five years: NA

Quotes:

Why I want to be a judge –I want to be Judge in my hometown county because I feel that the public has lost faith in the local justice system. I hear local citizens comment about not being treated fairly in the courts. I hear local citizens comment about the system doing nothing about the drug problem. I hear citizens and lawyers comment about the timeliness of their court hearings. I believe that there is a better way to move the cases along in the process in a more timely manner. ... I became a prosecutor because I wanted to play a role in what was happening my community. Over time, I have realized that I want to become a judge for the people of Polk County, Wisconsin because I believe that I am the best choice for this county given the current field. I bring with me experience in the civil and criminal area as well as the fundamental fairness and demeanor that the citizens of Polk County deserve.

​​Over time, I have realized that I want to become a judge for the people of Polk County, Wisconsin because I believe that I am the best choice for this county given the current field. - Polk County Circuit Judge Daniel J. Tolan

Best Wisconsin or US Supreme Court decision in the last 30 years - State v. O’Brien (2014)

It is a great example of strictly applying the law to the facts of the case. The opinion specifically rejects the invitation of the defendant to do the job of the legislature and modify or limit Wis. Stat. 970.038. This decision is also important for judicial economy reasons as well as the demonstration of the literal application of the law to the facts and comments upon the role of the legislature. However, part of the reason why I selected this case … is because it has directly impacted my role as a prosecutor. … The Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision in O'brien to allow hearsay consistent with §970.038 has curtailed the use of the Preliminary Hearing as a mini trial, protected the rights of victims, confirmed the summary nature and narrow scope of the Preliminary Hearing as well as upholding (sic) the protection of the defendant from unwarranted prosecution. ... All in all this decision was a win - win for Wisconsin.

Worst Wisconsin or US Supreme Court decision in the last 30 years — Missouri v. McNeely (2013)

I believe that this case fails to adequately consider the reasonableness component of the protections of the 4th Amendment. In that particular case, there was more than enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant. … Therefore, the focus of this case is really on the reasonableness of the police conduct … Given the facts of this case, is it really unreasonable to draw blood given the above stated facts, the guaranteed dissipation of alcohol, the natural delay that occurs in obtaining a search warrant, the government’s interest is protecting citizens from drunk driving and implied consent law? … I believe that fits within the exception to the warrant requirement as well as making (sic) the blood draw in this case reasonable. Obviously, the better practice is to try and obtain a warrant as the court decided.

Judicial philosophy – My judicial philosophy would be to a combination of a conservative and moderate. . (sic) My belief is that the judges should carefully apply the law to the facts in a fair and impartial manner and should not legislate from the bench. With that said, there will be times, such as sentencing, when a judge is required to use discretion in administering justice. In my humble opinion, I believe that everyone carries their own personal bias as a result of cultural influence from their formative years and upbringing. A judge should fairly apply the McCleaty, Gallion and any guideline sentencing factors, but to say that a judge's inherent bias will not play some role in determining a what they believe to be a just sentence is to ignore reality. For it is their own common core beliefs that will be called upon when executing justice. I am a believer in the following Ronald Reagan quote "We must reject the idea that every time a law is broken, society is guilty rather than the law breaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each person is accountable for his own actions."

Give any other information you feel would be helpful in evaluating your application: I have practiced law on my own from 1997 until March of 2016, when I left the private practice to be a full time Assistant District Attorney for Polk County. I think that it is a very difficult feat to come from just out of law school to practicing on your own for 18 plus year. During that time, I have had to lean on the local bar for help and advice. I think that gained me some respect as it showed that I was humble, appreciative and wanted to do things the right way. I think my ability to operate of (sic) my own for 18 years is extremely relevant because it highlights one of my strongest character traits. That trait is determination. …

The ACLU asked a judge Wednesday to temporarily ban the use of solitary confinement "for disciplinary or punitive purposes" at the state's Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake juvenile prisons.

In a motion for a temporary injunction, the ACLU of Wisconsin also asks the federal court to "eliminate the routine use of mechanical restraints, including handcuffing juveniles in solitary confinement to a waist belt and tethering youth to a table during their only time out of their cells."

Joining the ACLU in its filing was the Juvenile Law Center, with pro-bono assistance from Quarles & Brady.

It also seeks to "eliminate the use of pepper spray for punishment and behavior management or control."

Exceptions to the prohibitions would be allowed to prevent imminent and serious harm to people.

"Plaintiffs file this motion for interim relief due to the extreme and ongoing danger posed by these practices," the ACLU, Juvenile Law Center and Quarles & Brady said in a brief accompanying the motion.

“Isolating, handcuffing and pepper spraying children is not only dehumanizing and traumatizing, it is also unnecessary and counterproductive," Larry Dupuis, Legal Director of the ACLU of Wisconsin, said in a prepared statement.. "As experts in the field show, these practices actually undermine institutional safety and security. As a result, most juvenile correctional facilities no longer use pepper spray, restraints or punitive solitary confinement.”

The ACLU has filed suit on behalf of past and current inmates of the two facilities alleging the extreme disciplinary practices at Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake violate the inmates' constitutional rights against unreasonable searches and cruel and unusual punishment. The practices also violate the youths' due process rights, according to the suit.. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson.

The brief says that solitary confinement is known to cause psychological harm to adolescents.

"Research on adolescent development makes clear why juvenile solitary confinement is 'uniquely harmful'," the brief says, adding, "Stress derails brain development, and for a juvenile, simply being placed in isolation – the utter helplessness of it – is enormously stressful."

The brief says pepper spray use is on the upswing. "The use of pepper spray at LHS/CLS has increased dramatically since the beginning of 2016," the brief says. LHS/CLS (Lincoln Hills School and Copper Lake School) staff documented 198 pepper spray incidents in the first 10 months of 2016 – nearly 20 deployments per month, compared with 45 incidents in all of 2015."

Several juveniles have displayed symptoms such as difficulty breathing or coughing blood after being exposed to pepper spray, the brief says.

“These practices are so harmful that we’re taking decisive action to stop them immediately,” said Jessica Feierman, Associate Director of Juvenile Law Center. “Putting children in solitary, shackling them to tables, and pepper spraying them isn’t rehabilitation – it’s abuse.”

Vincent Schiraldi, a juvenile corrections expert from the Harvard School of Government, describes Wisconsin's practices as “excessively restrictive" and "a substantial departure from accepted professional standards, practice and judgment," according to the brief.

Boys and girls at the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake youth prisons are strip searched frequently, sometimes in the sight of other inmates, according to new allegations in a federal court lawsuit over conditions in the two facilities.

"In the LHS (Lincoln Hills School) solitary confinement wings, defendants have strip searched youth where boys across the hall could see the youth being strip searched," the complaint says. "In CLS (Copper Lake School), defendants have strip searched youth in a room that has a mirror, so that people outside the room could see the girl being strip searched, and in a room with a camera that records video viewable by guards, including male guards."

The amended complaint, filed Monday by the ACLU of Wisconsin on behalf of inmates and former inmates at the schools, also alleges that guards use pepper spray so indiscriminately that it affects inmates up and down corridors. The suit seeks class action status. (The original complaint is covered here and here.)

The suit alleges violations of the plaintiffs' Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search; Eighth Amendment right against cruel and unusual punishment; and 14th Amendment right to due process.

The spray made him feel like his body and eyes were burning, and made him nauseated, light-headed, and short of breath. The solitary cells also had pepper spray residue in them that burned his skin.

The defendants, officials at the two schools and the State Department of Corrections, have not yet responded to the new allegations. In their response to the original suit, they denied violating the youths' constitutional rights.

The amended complaint alleges youth in solitary confinement at the prisons sometimes have to wait long for a guard to take them to the bathroom that they have accidents or must use cups to relieve themselves.

In addition, while youth in the general population generally get four to five hours of schooling per day, education is reduced to one hour per day for those in solitary and "there are also many days when no teacher comes and the youth do not receive any education," the suit alleges.

Lincoln Hills-Copper Lake

A plaintiff, identified as R.N. was on suicide watch at Lincoln Hills, according to the complaint.

In one incident there, "he reached an electrical cord attached to a fan near his door, pulled it through the food tray slot, and wrapped it around his neck," the complaint says.

Responding guards "initially pulled on the cord, leaving marks on R.N.’s neck, and then fogged his room with pepper spray," according to the complaint.

Another youth, identified as A.V., was exposed to pepper spray about four times when guards were spraying other people, the complaint says. "The spray made him feel like his body and eyes were burning, and made him nauseated, light-headed, and short of breath. The solitary cells also had pepper spray residue in them that burned his skin," according to the complaint.

Guards using pepper spray wore protective gear at times, but did not offer similar protection to inmates not the target of the spray, according to the complaint.

A girl was exposed to so much pepper spray targeted at someone else that it "made her cough up blood; the guards would not let her have her inhaler," according to the suit.

Another inmate at Copper Lake was placed in solitary confinement for behavior like passing notes or being accused of having stolen gummy worms in her cell, according to the complaint. She was also repeatedly strip searched, "at times...in a room with a mirror that meant someone walking outside the room could see her, and in a room with a camera that guards—including male guards—could use to view her," according to the complaint. "On one occasion a guard had a body camera activated during the strip search."

An inmate in solitary is supposed to have one hour of out-of-cell time for exercise, but often is "on the belt" during that time; that is, his or her hands are handcuffed and attached to a belt around the waist.

"For the girls at CLS in segregation, if they receive out time, the hour of 'out time' includes their shower, a period of time of room cleaning, and a limited amount of exercise before they are locked back in their cells," the complaint said. "If a girl has to go to health services or any other visit, that counts against her out time."

Girls are occasionally allowed additional time - up to three hours a day - out of their cell.

A Lincoln Hills inmate was in solitary continuously or almost continuously since October 2016, according to the complaint. He was "on the belt" for almost that entire time.

"Recently the guards have started making the handcuffs of the belt tighter around his wrists, and using a shorter 'leash' to attach the cuffs to the belt around his waist," according to the complaint.

The youth was strip searched where other boys could see him and "has been pepper sprayed so many times he can’t count them," the complaint says. "He has been pepper sprayed for many reasons, even at times for not going into his cell, for covering up the camera, to make him get into the shower, or because staff said (he) was going to harm himself."

The Department of Corrections, needing millions of dollars in new funding to care for its sick and aging inmate population, is releasing almost none of its most seriously ill and oldest inmates to reduce costs or simply because they no longer are threats to the public.

In 2014, three inmates were granted compassionate release. In 2015, the figure was four, and in 2016 through November, two.

Source: DOC 2017-19 budget request

Liners

The criteria DOC uses for determining who might get under compassionate release is not clear to outsiders, said David Liners, state director of WISDOM, a leading prison reform advocacy group..

“It’s frankly, it’s a mystery to us, like so many things in the Department of Corrections are. ... They don’t seem to give the reasons and – we’re as mystified as anybody. It seems their criteria are incredibly tight.”

Inmates serving sentences for the most serious crimes – Class A or B felonies with maximum sentences of 60 years or more – do not qualify for compassionate release, according to DOC policy. (See bottom of this post for the document.) Other inmates seeking compassionate release must be at least 65 or older and have served at least five years in prison or be 60 or older hand have served at least 10 years in prison on each count, or have an extraordinary health condition.

Applying inmates must complete multiple forms and those claiming an extraordinary health condition, defined as a having a need for medical treatment or services not available within a correctional facility, must supply affidavits from two physicians, including a DOC doctor.

That paperwork requirement is a non-starter for many inmates who could benefit from compassionate release, Liners said..

"The people most in need of compassionate release are probably the people least likely able to be able to take the initiative to find out all the rules and to comply with all the paperwork sort of thing," he said.

Releasing sick and elderly inmates could save the state money and relieve worsening overcrowding problems, he said.

"It’s incredibly expensive and wasteful for us to be putting all these resources to keep people in that setting when in so many cases their families are willing to take them in, there’s nursing homes willing to take them in that would be a lot less expensive,” Liners said.

The state prisons already are beyond their capacity, figures show. There were 9,116 new admissions to Wisconsin prisons last year, the most since 2009, when the state admitted 9,445 adults to its prison population. The total adult prison population was 22,903 as of Feb. 24 and Gov. Scott Walker's proposed budget projects the average daily prison population will rise to 23,330 in 2017-18 and 23,233 in 2018-19. He is requesting a $50 million increase in the 2017-19 Department of Corrections budget, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

"Even where the prison populations are declining, the budgets aren’t, because the aging prisoner population is so much more expensive," Liners said.

Meanwhile, a 93-year-old man is sitting in prison, and so is an 83-year-old woman, according to Department of Corrections figures. The share of a the prison population that is at least 50 years old was 18.7% in 2015, up from 4.5% in 1990.

​A 2016 DOC report show that the two-year recidivism rate for released inmates aged 60 or over was just just 5.2%.

"The reason that we have for incarcerating people is primarily to protect the public," Liners said. "And these are people who are not a danger in any way, shape or form to the public. Just for the sake of being punitive and being a little more punitive and keeping somebody who is elderly or ill in prison for their remaining days just seems vindictive, it doesn’t seem like justice. It just seems like overkill.”

Walker's judges" is our effort to present information about Gov. Walker's appointees to the bench. The information is taken from the appointees' own judgeship applications. ​Biskupic has a controversial past that is not covered in his application. For supplemental reading, check out this story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Legal experience as an advocate in criminal litigation, civil litigation, administrative proceedings: Significant criminal and civil litigation experience. Prosecuted more than 30 homicide and attempted homicide cases and more than 2,000 felony cases overall. Civil work included medical malpractice defense and insurance litigation.

Number of cases tried to verdict or judgment: Jury, more than 120; non-jury, more than 1,000.

Number of cases on appeal: Attorney of record on more than 300 cases. Many of the listed criminal cases involved the filing of a post conviction response brief. The civil cases listed mainly were general liability defense cases and medical malpractice defense cases.

Involvement in judicial, non-partisan or partisan political campaigns in the last six years:

Election history: First ran for Outagamie County District Attorney in 1990, and lost in primary. Won election in 1994 and subsequent elections until defeated in 2002.

Professional or civic organizations, volunteer activities, service in a church or synagogue, or any other activities or hobbies that could be relevant or helpful to consideration of the application:

Knights of Columbus, member.

Fox Cities Kiwanis Club, past member.

St. Therese Catholic Church, volunteer including legal services for Hispanic community at church.

4. Appleton Boychoir, board vice-president.

Describe any pro bono legal work in the last five years: Pro bonospecial prosecutor in sex abuse cases against Father John Patrick Feeney (Outagamie County) and Father Donald Buzanowski (Brown County); special prosecutor on major cocaine case in Green Lake County; volunteered to represent domestic abuse and sexual abuse victims in Outagamie County; pro bono work for the Hispanic Community at St. Therese Church.

Quotes:

Why I want to be a judge – For more than 25 years as a courtroom attorney on criminal and civil cases, I have always been willing to take on a challenge and fight for the rights of the citizens of the Fox Valley. I am a hard worker. Outagamie County has a substantial volume of cases that needs prompt attention. Based on my criminal and civil case law experience, I believe I am equipped to be an effective, fair and efficient jurist for our county. I have represented both plaintiffs and defendants in civil and criminal cases. I know that I can be fair to all sides of a case. I am looking for the opportunity to make our judicial system for efficient and effective.

I do not believe in a “living Constitution” that evolves, changes over time, and adapts to new circumstances, without being formally amended. -- Outagamie Circuit Judge Vincent R. Biskupic

Best Wisconsin or US Supreme Court decision in the last 30 years - State v. Carpenter (1995) and State v. Post (1995)​Both upheld the Wisconsin Legislature’s enactment of the Sexually Violent Person Commitment Law (Chapter 980). At the trial level, the law had been ruled unconstitutional by two Dane County judges. … In Carpenter, the petitioners argued that ch. 980 law violated the double jeopardy and ex post facto clauses of the United States and Wisconsin Constitutions. … In Post, the petitioners argued that the law violated the due process and equal protection clauses. Our Supreme Courtt rejected each of these claims and upheld ch. 980 as constitutional. In the almost 20 years since these decision, many dangerous offenders have been kept off the streets and monitored in appropriate treatment settings.

Worst Wisconsin or US Supreme Court decision in the last 30 years — Thomas ex rel. Gramling v. Mallett (2005)

By adopting the “risk contribution” rule in Thomas, the Wisconsin Supreme Court essentially disregarded the black letter rule of tort law that a party’s liability for an injury is attached to the causation by that party of that injury. As pointed out in the Justice Wilcox dissent, there was no evidence that the defendant manufacturer could have reasonable contributed to the plaintiff’s actual injury.

Judicial philosophy – I am a judicial conservative. I do not believe in the judicial activism as described in the Thomas case. I do not believe in a “living Constitution” that evolves, changes over time, and adapts to new circumstances, without being formally amended. If the citizens of a state or the country want to amend their Constitution, then I accept the result.

Give any other information you feel would be helpful in evaluating your application: Beyond my legal work, I have actively worked with law enforcement officials and legislators to help create better laws for our state. By way of example, I helped on the “Justice for Survivor’s Act” which was signed into law by Governor Walker in early April of 2012. … In the future, I will continue to seek out ways to improve or correct the laws of our state as needed.

Just 13.2% of registered city voters participated in Tuesday's election, and turnout for the contested Circuit Court and Municipal Court races was worse – 11.7% and 11.4%, according to preliminary election results.

City turnout was bad -- 35 wards had turnout of 5 percent or less, and just six had turnouts of 30 percent or more. The smallest turnout was in ward 192 near N. 17th and W. State Streets, where there are 1,904 registered voters, but where just 26 ballots were cast for a turnout rate of 1.4 percent. (This analysis does not include Ward 327, where none of the five registered voters cast a ballot.)

The highest turnout was 33.7 percent in ward 206, the Story Hill neighborhood on the west side. There are 732 registered voters there, and 247 votes were cast.

Hill

The map below shows the wards with the highest and lowest turnouts in Tuesday's elections. The wards with turnouts of 5 percent or below are in red. The wards with turnout of 30 percent or above are in blue.

​Crowley won in 61 city wards, mostly on the east, south and west sides of the city. Hill also won wards in those areas, and swept through the north and northwest sides of the city, winning a total of 252 wards, or more than four times the number that Crowley won. The two tied in 11 wards.

Hill entered the race with a big advantage -- money. She raised $78,719 this year, including loans, according to the most recent campaign finance report, and had a cash balance of $12,251 at the end of the reporting period.

Crowley filed for an exemption from reporting requirements because he did not raise or spend more than $2,000.

Overall, Hill beat Crowley by a vote of 23,918 to 15,407. There also were 161 write-in votes.

The map below shows the wards that Hill won (no additional color), that Crowley won (blue) and where the candidates tied (orange.)​

Now that the 2017 spring elections are over, it's time to start thinking about 2018! Listed below are the seats and incumbents up for election next spring, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

Kashoua "Kristy" Yang was elected Branch 47 Milwaukee County circuit judge by a wide margin Tuesday, with her biggest win coming in Milwaukee, where she beat attorney Scott Wales by 10,707 votes and captured 63% of the total ballots cast.

Overall, Yang won 12,662 more votes than Wales did, beating him 49,394 to 36,732. She won 57% of the countywide vote.

She will replace Circuit Judge John Siefert, who did not seek re-election.

Yang

​Some 14.8% of registered county voters cast ballots in the race, according to preliminary county election returns.

Yang, whose campaign emphasized her Hmong-American heritage and her experience as a private attorney, won in 11 of 19 communities. Besides Milwaukee, Yang won more than 60% of the vote in Shorewood and West Milwaukee, capturing 61% in each.. She also carried Brown Deer, Cudahy, Franklin, Oak Creek, St. Francis, South Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, and West Allis.

Wales, a criminal defense lawyer in private practice, won in 66% of the vote in Fox Point – where he is municipal judge – and 65% in Bayside. He also carried Glendale, Greendale, Greenfield, Hales Corners, River Hills, and Whitefish Bay.

It would cost state taxpayers about $15.3 million per year to impose mandatory minimum 18-month prison sentences on drunk drivers convicted of their fifth or sixth offense, as State Rep. Jim Ott (R-Mequon) and Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) have proposed, according to the State Department of Corrections.

Longer prison terms would result in even higher costs, the DOC said. The estimate also does not include any remodeling or construction costs associated with expanded alcohol and other drug abuse programming.

Ott and Darling are the lead sponsors of a bill that would mandate the 18-month minimum sentence for multiple repeat drunk drivers. The new cost estimate, dated Friday, largely vindicates State Rep. Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee), who pushed for it during a public hearing on the measure last month.

Fiscal estimates of legislation's potential impact are routinely provided by agencies to legislators so they understand the tax and budget consequences of their votes. The Department of Administration is responsible for determining what agencies should provide the estimates.

Goyke

Goyke produced his own estimate for the public hearing that showed the bill could cost the state $20 million per year, but that number was greeted with skepticism by some on the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and and Public Safety, who suggested it was too high.

Goyke, who could not immediately be reached for comment, suggested the DOC estimate was omitted because the Walker administration did not want to make the costs of the measure public.

In its new estimate, DOC said the state's prison population would rise by about 478 at the end of the first year after the bill is passed and, once the full impact hits, the population would increase by 710 inmates.

Jim Ott (R-Mequon) and Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) main sponsors of the bill.

By far the largest chunk of costs – $13.3 million per year – would come from contracts with local jails throughout the state for bed space for the additional 710 inmates. The state prison system already is at capacity and, as of March 17, was contracting with local jails for 206 beds for prison inmates.

An additional $2 million would be needed to establish new AODA treatment programs in state prisons. The programs would require hiring 24 treatment specialists and 1.6 corrections supervisors, DOC said. The department also would need $117,000 in start-up costs for the programs.

The Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee is scheduled to vote on the bill Thursday.